


Heart Attack

by LRT



Series: Heart Attack [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters: X & Y | Pokemon X & Y Versions
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/M, Flashbacks, Friends to Lovers, Guilt, Heartbreak, Inspired by Music, Jealousy, Love Confessions, Mild Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-18
Updated: 2015-02-18
Packaged: 2018-03-13 16:05:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3387905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LRT/pseuds/LRT
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jessie gets a disturbing blast from the past upon arriving in Kalos.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chest Pain

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the song "Heart Attack" by Demi Lovato.

She knew she had heard the words "mega-evolution" before but couldn't quite put her finger on where. It was a fairly new discovery and not even the boss knew much about it - which was why they were in the Kalos region. James, of course, was excited at the prospect of "super Pokemon"; Meowth was anxious to learn if Persians could mega-evolve. All Jessie knew was that there was mention of some kind of ring and that was more than enough incentive to pack up and go off on another long journey.

It wasn't until they were outside the Kalos Professor's lab that Jessie thought to ask, "Hey, what's this guy's name, anyway?"

James pulled out the file that they were given on mega-evolution (what little was known to Team Rocket, at least) and flipped through a few pages. "Sycamore. Augustine Sycamore," he said, snickering at the first name.

Jessie nearly choked on thin air, jerking her head toward James and grabbing the file from him. "What? No, that can't be right..." There it was, written in black and white. Professor Augustine Sycamore. She thought she was going to be sick.

Grabbing the file back from her, James frowned. "What's wrong? You look greener than a Carnivine!"

She shook her head, moving away from their hiding spot behind a sleeping Skiddo. "I - I just think...we can't go in there like this!" Straightening her posture, she crossed her arms and turned her nose up at her teammates. "If we're going to learn anything about this mega-evolution stuff, we can't run around in our Team Rocket uniforms. We need disguises."

James and Meowth exchanged a look and then shrugged. "Why not?" Meowth said, already starting off in the direction of their balloon.

Jessie stayed where she was, staring uneasily at the laboratory, feet seemingly glued to place despite how desperately she wanted to run and never look back; but that was the whole problem with this situation, wasn't it? She ran and never looked back and now her past was bubbling up to burn her once again.

James looked from Jessie to the lab and back again, gently taking her hand and causing her to jump, pulling it away quickly. "Sorry! Sorry...you just looked like you could use...um...a hand?" he laughed awkwardly, putting his hand behind his head and ducking his gaze.

"I'm fine," Jessie replied, turning on her heel to follow where Meowth had gone off to. "I'm sure it's only jet lag."

"But we took the balloon, not a jet..."

 

* * *

 

It took far too little time for Jessie's liking to pick out disguises and ready themselves for infiltrating the Kalos Pokemon lab. It was moments like these when she hated how oddly organized their outfits were and the fact that they could pick some out and come up with entirely new personas in about fifteen minutes. Usually she relished any chance to dress up and put her acting talents to good use - today was not going to be one of those usual times.

"Jess! Come on!" Meowth commanded, trying his best "normal Meowth" behavior out before going inside. "I ain't about to pretend to be a regular Meowth for longer den I have to just because you're lazy!"

James winced, waiting for what was surely the inevitable smack to the side of Meowth's head...but nothing came. He looked at Jessie, who was struggling to put her hair in braids, her hands shaking too wildly. Going over to her, he took both her hands in his, noting to himself how cold and clammy they were. He tried to move and duck his head around in an attempt to catch her gaze but she was an expert at avoidance. "You are _not_ fine."

"Low blood sugar," she said, trying to pull her hands out of his grasp and sighing with annoyance when she was unable to. "James, cut the shit. Let me go!"

"Tell me what's going on," he persisted.

"I'll tell yas what's goin' on - Meowth is gettin' upset, here!" he yelled from down the path, waving one of his paws back at them. "Guess I'll just discover the secret of dat mega-evolution stuff myself!"

Jessie rolled her eyes, managing to yank her hands from James's and returning to her hair, forcing her hands to stabilize long enough to get it done. "Great, like he wasn't uppity enough today." She brushed past James and ran after Meowth, leaving him alone and confused for a few moments before he finally followed.

 

* * *

 

It became the consensus between the team that Professor Sycamore's lab wasn't quite as impressive as, say, Professor Oak's. It was built in the middle of a bustling city and had no outside area for the Pokemon to play, which annoyed Meowth slightly. Having lived on the mean streets of a major city himself, he had long since decided that places like this were no good for owner-less Pokemon - and Lumiose City had too many crisscrossing alleys and streets for even the most adept Pokemon to maneuver through. Jessie and James knew all of this but were treated to another one of Meowth's rants about the subject on their way to the north end of the city.

"And what's with all dese Skiddo everywhere? Is ridin' 'em really a ting? How degradin'! Dey should be off eatin' grass and hangin' out - not stuck in dis city as a mode of transportation!"

"Maybe they like it?" James suggested. "Maybe they're here because they want to be and don't like all of that grass and hanging out stuff you said."

Meowth waved his hand in dismissal at him. "Don't be dumb. What Pokemon would let a total stranger ride 'em like dat? And look right dere!" He pointed ahead to one of the blue Lumi Cabs driving in front of the lab. "Dey got it taken care of anyways! You wanna ride a Pokemon when you got cabs? Dat makes you a real loser!"

"Well...it's cheaper..." James trailed off, sparking another outburst from Meowth who had forgotten for the moment that he was supposed to be just your average, ordinary Meowth.

While the two had a very one-sided argument, Jessie stood and stared at the building before her. The thought of going inside, even in disguise, made her heart pound faster. She began to feel like no amount of air she inhaled was enough which made her start to panic even more than she already was. She put her hand to her chest and tried to talk herself out of this episode, closing her eyes; but all she could see when she closed them was his face, making her open them again quickly and jump, startled at seeing James and Meowth looking at her, concerned. "...What?" Her breathing was hard and ragged, on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Jessie...Jessie, what's wrong? Come here, sit down on this bench!" James said, gingerly wrapping his arm around her shoulder and guiding her to the city bench outside of the Pokemon Center.

Jessie sat, completely overwhelmed now, gripping the edge of the bench so tightly that her fingernails dug into the wood. "I can't - I can't do this."

James and Meowth frowned at each other, James rubbing her back lovingly. "It's okay. You don't have to go in there. Meowth and I can handle it."

She jerked her head up and stared at him, eyes wide with fear and tears. "No! No, no one can go in! Please - please...I - I'm begging you both, _please_!"

"But we gotta get some dirt on mega-evolution..." Meowth said quietly, hopping up next to her on the bench.

"For all we know, this guy doesn't know anything more than the boss does. It could be a complete waste of time and not worth all this stress for Jessie."

"What's so stressful about dis, anyways? It ain't like dis is our first rodeo!"

"Meowth, will you please just -"

"No. No. You guys deserve answers," Jessie said in an eerily calm tone given her current state.

James shook his head, reaching over and wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "No, we don't. Whatever this is, you don't have to tell us anything about it. We understand, _right, Meowth?_ "

Meowth sighed and threw his paws up in the air, nodding. "Yeah, yeah. We stick togetta like a sticky barb and Pokemon."

Jessie lowered her head, taking deep breaths, putting the fact that James's comforting was a large part of what was helping her deal with her emotions far, far away from her thoughts. The three stayed quiet for a while, letting her calm down, James wiping away a tear or stray hair from her face every now and then. It was while his finger was brushed up against her cheek that she looked up at him, meeting his eyes. "I know him," she whispered.

"What? Know who?"

"August- Professor Sycamore...I- I know him..."

"How did ya manage that?!" Meowth asked, jumping up.

Unsure why, she turned her head away from James as she replied, "We were in love."

Both James's and Meowth's mouths dropped open, James recollecting himself quickly and closing it, while Meowth simply stared. "You was _what_?!" he screeched.

She took hold of one of her braids, anxiously twisting it around her hand over and over as she spoke. "He - he was studying with that Professor Rowan guy, remember him?" They both nodded and she continued, "Well...he sent him to Professor Oak's one summer to be an assistant..."

"Guy gets around," Meowth commented, only to hunch back down at the fierce look James gave him.

"I had just joined Team Rocket." She looked at James again, this time avoiding his gaze. "It was months before you showed up. I - I was so..." her voice became a whisper once again, "lost."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Jess...you never do. You know that."

"Yes, I do. We know everything about each other - everything we did while we were apart for all those years. I just couldn't tell you this...it hurt too much. I wanted to forget it ever happened and move on - and I had! I really had until..." Limply, she gestured to the lab across the street, saying no more.

"Well...I have plenty of summer homes and other houses that I forget about until we come across them!" James said, trying to make her feel better.

"That is not even _close_ to being the same thing, James," she said with a frown.

"I know that! I wasn't saying - what I was saying is that we all have things from our past that we'd just as soon forget about. Like Jessibelle," he said with a shudder.

"And Meowzie," Meowth added with a heavy, longing sigh.

Jessie shook her head fiercely and stood before them, her eyes filling with tears again. "You don't understand! You could never understand! You -" She pointed at Meowth. "Your stupid little crush hardly even knew you existed! And you -" She pointed to James. "You ran from horrible things! People who treated you like dirt! You were happier after you left!"

"She knew I existed..." Meowth protested quietly, slumping down on the bench. "She just didn't care."

"All right, I guess I don't get it," James said, standing up next to her. "You said it was so painful and you wanted to forget -"

"Because we were so madly in love and I broke his heart, you idiot!"

Taken aback, James stood there silent, not sure what to say or where to go from there.

"Well, why'd you do dat?" Meowth asked, breaking the silence.

"Break his heart?"

Meowth nodded. "If ya loved the guy so much, what'd ya do dat for? Ya like bein' perpetually miserable or somethin'?"

"Meowth, shut up," James said softly, sitting back down on the bench.

Jessie felt her heart start up again at the tone of his voice - hurt but trying not to show it, so he spoke quietly instead, trying to avoid any kind of real emotional response; but Jessie was still the expert at avoidance, making up reason after reason in her mind why she never told James when the real one was simply that she couldn't bear seeing his face and hearing his voice once she had. Everything would be different and that was one of her biggest fears. Too many things changed too quickly in the course of her life - her relationship with James was the one thing that was supposed to stay strong, even through everything they had been through. "I was afraid," she finally said, looking at the pavement as she spoke. "I was afraid to love that much because every time I did before, it was destroyed. I wanted to destroy something on my own terms for once and try to spare him a lot more pain than this would bring him."

"Maybe you should tell him that," James said, his voice still quiet.

She shook her head and sat down once again, looking at the lab again. "I can't." Darting her gaze from the building, she continued, "It wouldn't matter anyway. That was a long time ago. We could never start again from where we left off...I don't even know that I'd want to."

James looked up at her and asked without thinking, "Why not?"

She looked back at him, her brow furrowed. "Would - would you want me to?"

"It's not my decision."

"Well, wouldn't you...wouldn't you miss me? Wouldn't you try to fight for me?"

"Of course I would miss you but what reason do I have to fight for you when it comes to you being happy?"

Jessie was dumbstruck, unable to say anything, her mouth suddenly dry as her stomach lurched up into her throat. "Because...you're supposed to," she said hoarsely, her voice cracking.

James stood, starting back the same way they came. "I think we should scrap this for now. Get some rest and regroup tomorrow."

Meowth looked at Jessie sympathetically. "Ya just gotta give him a little bit. He'll be okay and he'll do some big, goofy gesture to make ya feel better!"

She smiled slightly at him, leaning down for him to jump onto her shoulder before standing and slowly following James. "Maybe," she said half-heartedly. "And maybe I just destroyed the most important thing I've ever known."


	2. Shortness of Breath

He couldn't imagine what someone like _her_ was doing there. The others on the tour were the usual fair - Poke-geeks like himself and middle-aged women, hoping to hear just a snippet of one of Professor Oak's famous poems. He had grown used to continuing to work while the groups would come through, a kid here or there asking him what he was doing or trying to touch something they weren't supposed to. Most days it was a little boring as most days the same group of women - Professor Oak's "fan club" - would show up to take the same tour of the same laboratory guided by the same Professor Oak who used the same jokes and explanations - _all the time_. He'd often heard that true geniuses could also be considered a little crazy by others and wondered if that was the case with Professor Oak. He wasn't even entirely sure that the professor understood what was going on; he probably thought the ladies just loved Pokemon.

Not that he was one to talk about that kind of thing. As she made her way with the group around the lab, blowing a piece of magenta hair from her eyes, it became painfully clear that he had absolutely no experience with practically everything involving the opposite sex. All of his life he'd been training and studying to become a Pokemon professor - and in doing that, didn't have much time for friends, let alone romance. He had one or two good friends and that was it. The female he was closest to was his mother and even he knew that didn't sound as endearing as a lot of people thought it did.

"What are you doing?"

He jumped, nearly knocking all of his paperwork to the floor but managing to throw himself on top before anything catastrophic happened. Embarrassed enough, the blush that had started on his cheeks grew redder and hotter when he saw who it was.

The girl fought back a laugh, putting her hands behind her back. "Sorry. I noticed you looking at me and thought maybe you were feeling chatty about..." She gestured with her head toward the mound of paper he was still laying on. "Whatever this is."

It took him a few seconds before he realized he should actually probably say something in response. "Yeah! Yeah, sure." He stood up straight again, running a hand back through his hair, trying to focus on his work again. "These are just a lot of theories...mostly about evolution," he said, tidying up the papers strewn around, his face growing hotter as she leaned in on the table, resting her chin on her hand. "I'm...I'm just here for a few months to pick Professor Oak's brain. I'm actually Professor Rowan's -" he stopped himself, laughing nervously. "Nevermind. I'm only an assistant, that's all. And the professor is helping me with some theories." Inwardly he sighed, wishing he had just said that to begin with.

"What kind of theories?" the girl asked, trying to get a look at the papers. "It's pretty cut-and-dry, right? Experience, stones..."

"That's just it, though! Everything we think we know about Pokemon is constantly changing. Our knowledge _itself_ is evolving as well! What we know now could only be the beginning." He was shocked at how much easier carrying on a conversation with a pretty girl was when he was able to talk about something he was passionate about. His nerves were still a complete wreck but at least he sounded less foolish - he hoped.

"So you think you're going to crack this big Pokemon evolution mystery?"

"Oh, I...I don't know about _that_..."

"Come on," she said, winking at him and almost making him hit the floor, "you're being too modest. Nobody besides a real professor does all _this_ and then doesn't come across _something_ interesting."

He rubbed the back of his neck, hoping that it wasn't actually as hot and sweaty as he thought it was. "Well, I mean...there's this one thing -"

" _Ahem_." The two looked across the lab and saw another girl, her arms crossed and foot tapping against the floor. "Any year, _Jessie_."

She made a face and replied in the same snotty, cold tone, "Coming, _Cassidy_."

The other girl smiled a sweet smile - mostly at him which, oddly enough, didn't quite have the same effect that Jessie's did - and turned on her heel, walking out. Jessie muttered something under her breath that he thought it was probably best he didn't hear anyway. "Here," she said, grabbing his pen off the desk and then his hand, writing something down on his palm. "We should talk some more. You know, when devious little witches aren't around to bug us." She smiled a sweet smile of her own - that actually _did_ make his heart start pounding faster - and made her way out of the lab, giving a small wave as she went out the door.

He looked down at his hand and swallowed hard. "...I got a girl's number."

 

* * *

 

"How stupid are you?!" Cassidy chided Jessie back at their dorm room, hands on her hips. "We were there to practice our reconnaissance skills, not try to screw the hunky young lab assistant right there on the table!"

Jessie rolled her eyes, climbing into her bottom bunk. "What do you think I was doing? We weren't getting anything that we couldn't find in books or wasn't just common knowledge anyway. Now _I_ have some juicy info _and_ possibly a date," she crossed her arms, leaning back against the bed with a smirk.

Cassidy burst out laughing. "Are you _kidding_ me?! You... _you_ of all the newbies... _you're_ going to seduce information out of that guy?"

She frowned, glaring up at her roommate. "What's so funny about that?"

"Oh, gee, I don't know..." she said sarcastically, putting her finger to her chin and tapping it. "Maybe the fact that you're _terrible_ at everything!"

Jessie turned up her nose, nestling down against her sheets. "Boys I'm an expert at."

Laughing out loud again, Cassidy shook her head, heading toward the door and giving her a thumbs up on the way out. "Just remember - don't ever fall in love with the target!" The door slammed behind her only to be followed immediately by a pillow.

Disgruntled and now one pillow short, Jessie tried to get comfortable but could only seem to lay on her side with her arms crossed, frowning. "Love, yeah, right. What a crock. If I fall in love during the whole time I'm ever in Team Rocket, I want someone to shoot me and put me out of my misery."

 

* * *

 

"This is my favorite spot," Augustine said as he guided Jessie up and over a small hill, standing before a large pond. "More than anywhere else here you can see how happy the Pokemon are. They jump up in the air and splash each other with their fins or tails..." He smiled and gently touched her arm, then pointed up at the bright moon in the sky. "And when the moon gets full, on a clear night, you can see all the different colors of the Pokemon just beneath the surface, bouncing off and back onto the top of the pond again. It's really -"

"Beautiful," Jessie interrupted quietly, staring out over the water as a few ripples broke the crystal-clear surface.

He smiled more and nodded, looking as well and awkwardly sticking his hands in his pockets. "I could never imagine doing anything else. From the minute I knew what Pokemon were, I knew I would have to do something amazing with them - something beyond battling."

"A calling," she said, rubbing her arms to keep them warm in the oddly cool summer evening.

Augustine looked at her and nodded again, slipping out of his sports coat and placing it over her shoulders. "I guess like that, yeah. Did you ever feel that way about something?"

Pulling the coat around herself, she bit her lip, trying to think of a way to respond to his question. Truthfully, her whole life had been looking for that very thing - a calling, something to be passionate about, something to be _good_ at. What would this smart, charming guy think of her when he found out what a mess she actually was? Why did it even _matter_? "Not yet," she decided on, looking down at the grass. "I guess not everybody is born knowing what they want to do with their life."

He frowned, starting to reach and put his arm around her, stopping briefly before shaking his head to himself and going for it, pulling her closer to him. "Of course not. If anything _I'm_ the weirdo!"

Jessie laughed softly, resting her head on his shoulder and looking up at the sky. "If you're a weirdo, who knows _what_ that makes me..."

"Jessie," he said simply. "It makes you Jessie."

She felt goosebumps perk up along her arms and not from the chill in the air. There had been only one other person in her life that made her feel like just being Jessie was okay and more than enough. She hated to admit it to herself but Augustine reminded her of him in some ways - carefree and wanting to see the best in everything, no matter what obstacle was put in his path. Well, _almost_ any obstacle. She knew how she felt about him and how that had ended..."I should get back," she said abruptly, starting to take his coat off.

He stopped her and shook his head. "Keep it. It's a bit of a walk back to Viridian. You can give it back me some other time." Ducking his head, he ran a hand through his hair nervously. "I mean...if you want there to be another time..."

Jessie thought for a moment about what she was getting herself into. She was already much deeper than she'd ever intended to be, finding herself _caring_ about this guy and letting that cloud her ability to even bring up his research. These things never ended well for her - and she would be damned if Cassidy turned out to be right about _anything_. In her head she had decided to break away now before it was too late; but her lips didn't get that memo, saying with a small smile, "Sure. I'd really like that."

As she walked toward Viridian City, hugging his jacket around her, she caught herself smiling - a real, genuine smile for the first time in ages. She stopped walking and let out a heavy sigh, slumping her shoulders. " _Fuck_."

 

* * *

 

"Are you sure we wouldn't be able to see the fireworks better from your place?" Augustine asked as the two curled up with each other on a blanket just in front of the pond. "It's right in the city and everything..."

Jessie shook her head and answered quickly. "No! Nope. It would be...too close! Right, you know? They're better a little far away so you can get the whole picture."

"The whole picture" being something that Jessie had yet to clue Augustine in on. They had been together a little over a month and it had been a whirlwind. He had completely and unexpectedly swept her off her feet and, even more unexpectedly, she had let him. His work with Professor Oak made it so they could only see each other in the evening; and that was just fine by Jessie since all of her classes at TR headquarters were during the day as well. He still had no idea about that and didn't seem the least bit bothered by the fact that she had never invited him back to her place. She used Cassidy as an excuse and, having remembered her from the tour, he tended to agree that the less they saw of her, the better.

Cassidy's snide remarks were becoming even more obnoxious than she was on any given day. She would always ask her what useful information she'd managed to gather so far and after Jessie begrudgingly admitted to having nothing, Cassidy would then proceed to tease her mercilessly in front of their fellow recruits. "Aw, poor Jessie can't even seem to get any info on the _male form_." It took everything she had in her not to sock her right in her fat mouth every time.

"You ever been to that festival going on there before?" he asked, idly playing with her hair.

She shook her head. "They aren't really my thing. Too..."

"Festive?" he said with a grin.

Jessie laughed and smacked him in the chest playfully. "No! _Crowded_! All those people just drive me nuts. Believe it or not, I'm not exactly a social Butterfree."

"I know what you mean. I guess...I guess I never cared enough to be social with other people. I had Pokemon and my research and that was fine for me." He smiled, pulling her closer. "Then again, a lot of people don't quite understand me. I tend to go off into my own little world sometimes."

"It's better there, right?" she said, looking up at him. "I always had to live in my own world. The real one was too brutal."

"Not... _better_. Well, definitely not better now," he said with a grin back down at her.

She wrinkled her nose up, tilting her head to the side. "Really?"

"Of course! Don't be silly." Augustine reached down, brushing some hair away from her eyes. "You make everything better..." Jessie opened up her mouth to protest but he put his finger against them, stopping her. "And before you try to argue with me about this, I'll just say that you won't win. Most arguments...you'd probably kick my butt. This one? This one I know I'm right about."

Jessie stared up at him, her heart pounding so hard and fast she heard it in the depths of her ears and felt as though it must be ready to burst out of her chest. She opened her mouth again to say something - anything - but found all she could do was leave it hanging.

He looked down at her again and couldn't help but laugh. "What?"

She shook her head quickly, lowering it and cursing to herself inside her head. What a complete and total idiot she was. Just about everything she swore that she would never do she'd checked off in a month's time. What was _wrong_ with her?

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted as Augustine lifted her chin, looking into her eyes. She thought she was going to explode - or be sick, one of the two. Hopefully the former if she had to choose. Neither happened, though, even when he leaned in and kissed her. She felt a total and complete swoon come over herself. Well...what was the harm, right? Some cuddling and smooching...kids years younger than she was were doing more than that. This was okay. This was completely fine.

Except for how quickly it became not okay and not fine.

 

* * *

 

Caught up hopelessly in the moment, Jessie could (and didn't really want to) do nothing but run along after him, carrying her shoes and giggling, the mid-summer grass lush and soft between her toes. When they reached the door and he opened it, he pulled her inside and close to him, kissing her again amidst more giggling and muttering of sweet nothings. Not wanting to break the kiss, he tried to walk backward up the stairs - not failing but not totally succeeding, either.

When they reached the top, Jessie groaned, forcing herself to pull away from him. "What about Professor Oak?" she asked breathlessly.

Augustine shook his head, grinning and taking both of her hands, guiding her to the guest room he was staying in. "He's at the festival until tomorrow evening."

Jessie bit her lip as they entered his room, her head screaming at her to get the hell out of there before she did something incredibly stupid; her heart screaming at her to stop making herself miserable for no reason and let herself be happy; and her body was screaming, throwing a tantrum, pounding on the wall - not satisfied until it got what it wanted. "Well...since we have the place to ourselves and all..."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him again, leaning in and brushing his lips against hers. Wrapping her arms around his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair, she closed her eyes and let him lay her back on the bed, the kiss becoming more passionate, hands a flurry of desperate, needy tugs and grabs at clothing.

And so the fireworks began.


	3. Nausea

James didn't sleep well at all. He always hated going to bed when something was left unresolved with Jessie but he couldn't figure out how to do it. Not with this.

He knew he had no real right to be upset with her and the fact that he was only caused her more pain - and he hated being the cause of her pain. What else was she keeping from him, though? The most he had ever kept from her was Jessibelle and, while that was a doozy, it was the worst of things and they were all (eventually) on the same page about her. This was another link in a chain of deceit: contests in a different region, going to school for _how_ _many_ different things? In a way he could understand why she didn't tell him this and recalled her saying that she had tried so hard and for so long to forget; but what was her reasoning for the other things?

As much as he wanted to hate her, leave and never look back the way he had with his family and Jessibelle - the way Jessie had with him - he couldn't. He wasn't James without Jessie. They were a _team_ ; but what good were they if she was unhappy and always wondering what might have been? What kind of team was that?

He was rarely given the chance to be the bigger man, mostly due to the fact that Jessie was actually the bigger man of the two of them, but when it came down to her happiness versus his own and the selfish way he'd been acting as though she were his and had broken some great vow between them, he knew what he had to do.

And was it ever going to stink.

 

* * *

 

Somehow Professor Sycamore's lab looked more foreboding now than it had yesterday. He could only attribute that feeling to being ready to hurl at any given second, knowing that he had something much more important to take care of than whatever that "mega-evolution" stuff was.

With a deep breath that he held in until he made it up the steps to the front door, he let it out as he walked inside, confused to find what looked like a lobby. No time to make an outdoor play area for the Pokemon but _more_ than enough to make sure his fancy lobby was up and running.

"Can I help you?" the girl at the desk asked, leaning on her arm and popping gum in her mouth.

"Oh, um...I think so," he said, walking over to her. "I need to talk to Professor Sycamore."

"Yeah, you and everybody else in Kalos."

James frowned. "No, not about Pokemon or anything -"

"Then what? All the guy's got going for him is Pokemon and being friends with that movie star."

He frowned more, forgetting for the moment all of the times his mother and Jessibelle had told him that his face would stay that way if he did it enough. "Oh, so he's... _involved_?"

The girl blinked, her bubble popping on her nose and chin. She spoke as she chomped it back into her mouth, a sight that didn't help James's queasiness much, "Were you, like...looking for a date or something? I mean, he's got this other friend with this weird red hair -"

"No!" James said emphatically, waving his arms in front of himself. "No, no! _No_. I just need to talk to him about something from a long time ago. I think maybe, if he's not with anybody, he might want to look into it."

"Well, the professor doesn't pay me enough to play matchmaker. Sorry!"

"Look, please..." he said, leaning against the desk and lowering his head. "I really _need_ to see him. Can't you call him and ask if he would come down here? Tell him..." James thought for a moment then said, "Tell him it's about Jessie."

The girl raised an eyebrow at him, slowly blowing a bubble and letting it pop on her face once again. After she'd gotten her cud back into her mouth, she sighed and picked up the house phone. "Only because I'm super-bored."

James sighed in relief, mouthing, "thank you" to the girl who rolled her eyes and turned away from him in response.

He leaned forward, trying to hear the conversation but she was off the phone just as quickly as she'd gotten on, slowly placing the it back on the reciever and sitting awkwardly. "He said he'd be right down. I haven't heard him sound that way in a long time."

Now that he was actually going to meet this guy, James's nausea returned full-force, forcing him to sit down on one of the couches in the lobby. He rubbed his palms on the thighs of his pants, tapping his foot nervously. What if he went ballistic and punched this guy right in the face before having the chance to say anything? Not many things could make James lose his temper to that point but all things Jessie seemed to be his weakness.

Even though she claimed she was the one that broke his heart, there was still the fact that this guy had put her in that position...right? He shifted uncomfortably against the couch, watching the elevator, noting the numbers as they slowly descended downward. This guy had had Jessie. Out of all the fancy, expensive, shiny things he'd had in his life and all of the things he had the capibility to get, the only thing he _really_ wanted was something that seemed to constantly elude him. Didn't she care that every day she was breaking his heart, too?

The elevator dinged and brought James out of his thoughts as he stood shakily, watching the doors open.

A tall, fit, handsome man maybe a little older than he was stepped out and looked around the lobby, noticing James and walking over. He even made a lame lab coat look bad ass as he walked. He had incredible hair and a five o'clock shadow forming on his stupid, perfect chiseled jaw. James hated him immediately.

Professor Sycamore held his hand out, nodding to him. "Hello, there. I'm -"

James didn't accept his hand and instead crossed his arms. "Yeah, I know who you are."

Dropping his hand slowly, he said, "Okay...great! Now, um...you said you had -"

"Jessie," James said, hoping he was sufficiently hiding his nerves with the tough guy act - and also hoping that he didn't take him _too_ seriously because he could definitely kick his butt all over Lumiose City. "I think maybe there are some things you don't know."

Professor Sycamore raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms now as well. "Well, firstly I'd like to know what you think _you_ know."

Did he really have to relay it all back to the guy who lived it? He sighed, annoyed that he had to even say any of these words. "You two fell in love. She left and broke your heart."

He stood there and stared at him for a moment before turning around and starting back toward the elevator. "Come with me."

James shook his head, staying where he was. "She's here. In town. You could walk to where she is."

Professor Sycamore stopped, back to turned to James, his eyes staring so intently downward that a hole could have been made in the floor just from his gaze. Finally, he said, "And she sent you?"

"No," he said, his voice becoming a little softer as he spoke about her. "She's too much of a wreck to set foot near this place. She just about had a mental breakdown when she found out you were the Kalos region's professor."

He turned around, a look of disbelief on his face. "What? Why in the world would she -"

"She got scared," James continued, looking away from the professor. "She thought she would just end up ruining things anyway so she decided to do it before things became any more serious."

Professor Sycamore blinked slowly, letting out a long breath. "...Wow. Okay."

James's eyes darted back to him, glaring. "That's _it_?"

He gestured helplessly to nothing in particular. "I - I don't know what you want me to say!"

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, James took a few seconds to breathe and remind himself how angry Jessie would be with him if he tried to beat up Professor Sycamore, failed, and ended up in jail. "I just want to know," he began, slowly, oddly calm, "if you still love her."

The professor smiled a little, as if remembering a special, tender moment with Jessie that would have surely made James throw up. "She was my first love."

He hated him even more now. Now, he actually felt for the guy. He always thought that no one understood what it was like to love somebody the way he did Jessie and have nothing come of it for _years_ and years; but this guy just might. What was worse in the end - being with someone you love but can't have day in and day out or thinking someone you love doesn't love you back and rejected you, when it was actually the complete opposite? Both options were pretty awful.

"I - I think you should see her," James said quietly. "You can't keep on like this, never knowing if you were meant to be or not."

Sycamore nodded slightly and turned to his receptionist who quickly made like she was doing important work and not completely eavesdropping. "I'm going out. I don't know when I'll be back. Apologize to anyone that comes looking for me, can you?"

After getting confirmation from her, Professor Sycamore and James started out for the wooded area just outside of one of the gates of Lumiose. Sycamore looked back behind him as they made their way out of the city. "Wait, you mean she isn't staying in town?"

It never occurred to James how strange it must be for others to hear that they practically lived in the woods like wild Pokemon most of the time. For them it was life - for other people it was called being homeless. "Oh, uh. No. No. We're - she's in the woods. Camping."

Professor Sycamore eyed him, nodding slightly, sticking his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. "How do you know Jessie, then?"

"Friends," he said a little too quickly, keeping his eyes on the path ahead.

"You seem to be going to quite a bit of trouble for a _friend_."

James tried to shrug off all of his comments, trying not to let his poking and prodding get to him - no matter how hard it was. "She deserves to be happy. Doesn't everybody?"

"And you think she'll be happy with me?"

"I don't _know_ , that's why we're going!" he snapped, briskly walking ahead of the professor and mumbling things that would make his mother flush. So much for not letting it get to him.

Sycamore jogged a bit to catch up with him. "I'm sorry...it just seems like you're mad at me for some reason. _You're_ the one who came to _me_ , remember?"

"I did it for her."

He ran a hand back through his hair, still having to walk quickly to keep up with James. "So...why, then, do you think she's not perfectly content with you?"

James stopped and turned to face him, the look on his face pure emotional exhaustion and sadness. "Please...please stop asking those questions, okay? I just know."

Professor Sycamore frowned, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Why are you trying to push us back together?"

"I told you, because -"

"No, I'm asking _why_ when you're so in love with her, yourself."

He swallowed hard, pulling away from the professor and starting into the woods, saying nothing in response. Sycamore followed with a heavy sigh, deciding to keep his distance from James this time.

In a twisted way, they were going through the same type of thing - accepting the girl they loved being with another person. James was convinced she would choose Professor Sycamore; Professor Sycamore was convinced that if only James would be honest with her, she wouldn't give _him_ a second glance. Both just wanted her to be happy.

"I already told her I wasn't going to fight for her," James said after minutes of walking in complete silence except for the wild Pokemon bustling about. "If I go back on that now, it makes me look...weak. And stupid. I look like that more than enough to her without trying."

Professor Sycamore stepped up his gait, walking next to James now. "Doesn't the fact that you _want_ to fight for her mean something?"

"It means I'm an idiot."

"You're not. Well..." He smiled slightly. "Maybe a little. You're in love. It makes the best of us act like idiots."

"Seems like you did everything right," James replied.

"Guess I didn't." He stepped up his pace enough to get in front of James, putting his hand out to stop him. "How long have you two been traveling together?" he asked.

He blinked at the random question and shrugged a little. "A long time."

"Longer than two months?"

"What?" James made a face, replying as if it were simple common knowledge that he and Jessie had been together for most of their lives, on and off. "Of course!"

Sycamore put his hands up with a shrug and a small smile. "And she's still here, right?"

He thought about that for a second, an inkling of hope rising in his chest only to be flattened again almost immediately by what he considered to be the harsh reality of his friendship with Jessie. "She doesn't have anywhere else to go."

He whistled softly through his teeth, putting his hands on his hips. "You are one tough customer." Professor Sycamore clapped his hands together and said, "I didn't want to do this but you're just about as stubborn as she was - I won't step out from behind any tree, not a single bush, until you _fight for her_."

James blinked, slowly shaking his head. "I can't -"

"Yes, you can! Stop being afraid. Stop pushing everything down and acting like it's not there!"

He bit his lip, turning his head away from the professor, letting some of his blue hair fall into his eyes. "What if she rejects me?" he asked quietly. "I wouldn't be able to go on without her."

"Now who's the one that can't go on wondering?" Sycamore said, going and putting his arm around James as they started off again.

James made a face but simply didn't have the energy to fight the guy anymore. "If she rejects me, you have to tell us everything you know about mega-evolution."

He laughed, patting him on the shoulder. "I'll tell you what - she rejects you and you can get everything I've worked on all these years and do whatever you'd like with them."

"You'll end up regretting that."

"Actually," he began, smiling more, "I think whichever way this works out, I won't end up having any regrets at all."


	4. Anxiety

Basking in the afterglow of anything was not something Jessie did very well. The immediate high she received in the midst of something ultimately heinous wore off quickly and she was left with nothing but the consequences of her actions.

That's why it was so surprising to her that, as she laid there next to Augustine, listening to the fireworks continue on, panic didn't overtake her. She was actually calm. Happy. She might have gone so far as to say "content."

Resting her head on his chest, she smiled to herself as the colors from the fireworks burst against the wall across from the window. Every one more vibrant and beautiful than the last. It was amazing what a little affection could do for someone's mood. She wasn't about to tell Augustine but she disliked fireworks. Explosions were only enjoyable when they didn't result in hundreds of Pokemon screeching at the top of their lungs in response to both the booms and the various car alarms that inevitably went off.

She let out a heavy sigh, letting her eyes flutter closed only for a moment before being dragged back to semi-consciousness by Augustine. "I need to tell you something..."

Closing her eyes again, tightly this time, she willed herself to go deaf. This was too good to be true. Of course it was. It was her and her stupid life, after all. The only thing she could manage was to squeak out a barely audible "mmhmm?"

"Maybe...I should have told you this before. I don't know. I've never... _done_ this before and..." He sighed, staring up at the ceiling. "I guess I wanted to know that you wouldn't be weirded out. Not that I planned this or anything like that! This...it just...happened...and I'm so glad it did because it makes this a little easier."

Jessie said nothing, her eyes still shut, waiting any moment now for that deaf thing to come into play.

He leaned down and kissed her forehead sweetly, then rested his head against the top of hers, one of his hands gently taking hers. "I know this is crazy. I've told myself that a thousand times but it doesn't matter." As Jessie opened her eyes, he tilted her chin up, his eyes penetrating hers like a cold dagger to the chest. "I think I'm falling in love with you. No - I _know_ I am."

She knew he was continuing on, saying how wonderful she was and that she had changed his life for the better and shown him that he could have it all - be a successful professor and have love in his life; but it all sounded so muffled and far away. Like a bad connection. The deaf wish came true just a little too late.

That fight or flight instinct was starting build inside her. She knew that he would be expecting some kind of response...and what he wanted that response to be. The worst part was that she could easily tell him what he wanted to hear and mean it because for the first time it truly hit her that she was falling in love with him, too.

All the time she pined away for a magical romance that would give all the novels in the world a run for their money and she had gotten her wish, right under her nose. She should have been happy. She should have been touched. She should have felt anything but the way she did.

Jessie leaned forward, kissing him softly, hoping that for now that could suffice for an answer until she could wrap her head around everything. He smiled at her, running his hand through her hair. Only one other person ever looked at her that way...with such adoration and love. All of it completely undeserved. All of it from two people that shouldn't have wasted their time and their sweet hearts on someone like her.

The definition of crazy. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That was her. She was crazy and dragged innocent people right into the padded cell with her. What the hell was she supposed to do now?

 

* * *

 

She was sitting in a lecture - something about blah, blah, glory for Team Rocket - when a Pokeball that hadn't been enlarged yet hit her in the side of the head. Growling, she spun around, already knowing who the culprit was.

Cassidy smiled and waved, then gestured with her pencil to the Pokeball in Jessie's lap.

She glared at her for a few seconds before enlarging the Pokeball and opening it to find a note. Jessie didn't have to read it to know that once she did, that big Pokeball was going right down Cassidy's throat. Unfolding it, she furrowed her brow in confusion as she read. All it consisted of were names of various recruits. She turned back around to Cassidy, making a motion to the effect of, "what the hell is this?"

Cassidy mouthed to her, "turn it over."

Rolling her eyes at the total and complete childish behavior she had to endure, she flipped the paper over and nearly fell out of her seat. Jessie whipped herself around, her hair smacking the poor recruit with the blue-green hair next to her in the face, utter rage building inside her. Even Cassidy must have known that she crossed a line because she slumped back down in her chair, avoiding Jessie's white-hot glare.

She tried to get out of class as quickly as possible in an attempt to avoid Jessie but ended up stuck in the elevator that led up to the dorms with her - just the two of them. "Just so you know," she began, trying to hide the nervousness in her voice, "there are cameras in these things. Whatever you do to me will be caught on tape and the boss will fire you."

Jessie crinkled up the piece of paper and grabbed Cassidy by the collar of her uniform, holding the ball of paper above her. "Give me _one fucking reason_ why I shouldn't jam this down your throat and watch you choke to death on your own disgusting idea of a joke."

Cassidy swallowed hard, laughing nervously. "C'mon, it was nothing! It's flattering if anything."

She shoved her back against the side of the elevator. "You got almost every male recruit to sign this thing saying that they would sleep with me once Augustine dumps me!"

"See? _Flattering_."

Between the rage she felt toward Cassidy and her unresolved, confusing feelings for Augustine, Jessie couldn't even form words anymore. Instead she just screamed and back-handed Cassidy across the face. The other girl shrieked, putting her hand to her cheek, staring at Jessie in total awe that she would dare do something like that not only to _her_ but in front of cameras!

The elevator stopped on their floor and Jessie got out first, turning around to make sure Cassidy stayed where she was - she hadn't moved. "Go find some pathetic moron to take you in tonight, _Cass_. I'm not going to be responsible for what might happen when I 'sleep walk' and strangle you." A broad smile appeared suddenly on her lips and she waved happily to her roommate as the elevator doors closed, her hand still against her cheek, eyes still wide in disbelief.

Jessie stomped her way to their room and slammed the door, tossing the wad of paper onto her bed and sitting down next to it. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin against them. If only she could solve every problem with violence. It was easier when you didn't care that the person on the other end was going to get hurt.

Idly, her eyes wandered down to the wadded up ball of potential suitors and an idea so horrible came to her mind that she was surprised at herself for being capable of such thoughts. Licking her lips, she reached down under her bunk and felt around until she found a dust-covered pencil. She unfolded the paper and swallowed hard, scooting back on the bed to be able to use the wall to help her add the name "Augustine Sycamore" to the list. She flipped it over and scribbled out the name Cassidy had given it and wrote, "My Conquests" on it. It was a good idea, in theory - make him hate her and think she was using him for sex and information.

The problem with theories was that they could be disproven.

 

* * *

 

She had asked him to meet her halfway between Pallet and Viridian, in the middle of a dusty but well-traveled route that was oddly dead for being so early in the evening. She thought that maybe if it was done in a public setting it wouldn't be so bad. He wouldn't cry. She wouldn't cry. They would both have to put on a tough face just in case someone happened to pass by. It all worked out so well in her head.

Wearing her red Team Rocket recruit uniform, she sat on a boulder, telling herself repeatedly that this was for the best. She was doing this _because_ she loved him. He would be so much better off without her. He could achieve all of his dreams and become a brilliant Pokemon professor. She would only weigh him down. Her baggage was too heavy for anyone to carry, she knew that now.

She saw him coming down the road, smiling brighter than she'd ever seen before. If he only knew how desperately she wanted to find a different way out. If he only knew what a curse she was on anyone around her. If he only knew just how much she wanted him to sweep her up in his arms and carry her away to their pond where they could hide forever. What a silly thought that was, though.

Jessie stood as he approached her, a look of confusion on his face. She took a deep breath, muttering to herself, "Here goes nothing."

"Hey..." he said, taking a moment to look at her outfit and then lean in, kissing her cheek. "What's with this?"

How messed up were you when you wanted to run away from running away?

"We need to talk." Straight to business. No fluff. No filler. Get in and get out. Rip it off like a band-aid. She took out the worn piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to him, saying nothing else.

Augustine frowned, taking it and looking at the title, then opening it. His eyes widened, lips moving as he read down the list of names. She wanted to run right then. He got the point, right? She was a big ol' lying slut. Did she have to stick around? "Wh...What...What _is_ this?" he asked, his voice quivering but his eyes giving her a look that would have surely made her drop dead immediately had it the power.

"The truth," she replied, standing up straight and trying to remain stoic. "I'm a member of Team Rocket, a criminal organization that steals Pokemon and uses them for their own devious purposes." Jessie took a deep breath and continued, "I was in the lab that day to gather information. It was a recon mission. I saw you and knew then that I had a sucker on the line. All I had to do was reel you in."

He shook his head, staring at her in angry disbelief. "That's not true. _Tell me_ it isn't true!"

She stayed perfectly still, her eyes locked on a tree just past him, unable to look him in the eye. "I used you. Get it?"

He continued to shake his head, throwing the paper to the ground and grabbing her hands, trying to get her to look at him. "I know it's not. If someone's making you do this, if they're threatening you -"

Jessie pulled her hands away from him, swallowing hard. It felt like swallowing a pin cushion - her mouth was so dry. "No. _I'm_ doing this. Me. Just me."

Augustine smiled slightly, laughing awkwardly. "No, no...come on...the other night, that wasn't fake. None of this was fake..."

"You think I haven't pulled that same schtick on all those other poor losers?" she spat, pointing down to the paper in the road. "You fell harder and faster than most. It was easy."

He continued to stare at her, mouth slightly agape, saying in barely a whisper, "But I love you."

Quickly she turned from him, unable to keep this up if she had to see the look on his face. "Well, stop. Because I don't love you." She felt her face become hot, her eyes blurring with tears, insides twisted up in knots. " _I don't_!" she yelled once more for emphasis before taking off into the setting sun down the road back to Viridian, never looking back again.


	5. Irregular Heartbeat

Sliding in behind the trunk of a giant, old oak tree, Professor Sycamore got his first look at Jessie in years. She was sitting on a rotting old tree stump, poking at what was left of the fire from breakfast, trying to keep it lit for when James returned from...wherever he had run off to.

He smiled a little to himself, resting his head against the tree. The way she sat there, the scowl on her face trying to mask the real concern in her eyes reminded him of how she looked when he first went up to her on the road that day. She hadn't changed much - not that he could _see_ , at least. It was fair to guess, however, that the girl he fell for so hard and so fast that one summer wasn't there anymore. He didn't know anything about her life - never did, really; but there was something about her that seemed so very sad...like a Pokemon trapped in a cage, waiting for someone to let it out.

He watched as she looked up to the sound of crunching leaves and breaking twigs and felt just a little proud of himself when he saw her reaction to seeing James return. He couldn't help but wonder how this was so obvious to him - someone who had only just met James and hadn't seen her in years - yet they were so completely clueless about the other's feelings. C'est la vie.

Jessie quickly sprung up from her spot and ran to James, stopping just short of wrapping her arms around him and hugging him close. He was still upset with her - upset enough to go off by himself while she was washing up in the nearby lake. The last thing she needed was to have him push her away physically as well as emotionally. "I was worried," she said softly.

There it was, right there in front of his face. Everything he had ever wanted times a thousand. All he had to do was work up the courage...but if she pulled away, what would he do then? How would he ever come back from that? How would _they_?

James silently cursed Professor Sycamore for putting him in this horrible position. She would never choose him. Who did this guy think he was, anyway? Giving him ultimatums and ever-so-slightly boosting his confidence just enough that he thought for a split-second that maybe that look on her face was about more than just worry.

He glanced past Jessie and tried to maintain himself, though everything inside him wanted to rush over to the man behind the tree and kick him. Professor Sycamore urged him on with a smile and a thumbs up. James wondered how satisfying it would be to break that thumb.

"James?"

He blinked himself out of his violent thoughts and smiled a little. "Yeah? Hey. Sorry. I was just getting some fresh air."

"...We're in the forest, James."

"Oh. Right. Well, I meant...city air."

Jessie forced a smile and nodded, trying not to focus too hard on how awkward they were now with each other. If she would've known this would happen, she would've kept her mouth shut and done her job like any _real_ agent would have.

The two stood there, neither one quite looking at the other. Jessie had no idea what to say. James didn't know if he had the nerve to do what he was supposed to do.

It was then he thought back to the day before, sitting on that bench with Jessie. He was so caught up in being hurt and jealous that, at the time, what she'd said didn't even register with him. He was _supposed_ to fight for her. That's what she'd said. She _wanted_ him to fight for her. Jessie - Jessie who would rather break every bone in her body trying to do something on her own than ask for help - she asked him to fight for her. And what did he do? He made her feel the very way he was so afraid of feeling right now - rejected and alone, uncertain of the future.

With no more build-up other than the many years they'd been together, James placed his hands on either side of her face and leaned in, kissing her with everything he had.

Her eyes grew wide and she stiffened up at first, confused about what was happening; but as his fingers tangled in her hair, she relaxed and let herself go as well. Grabbing his shirt with both of her hands, she pulled him closer to her, returning his kiss with just as much intensity.

Even when they finally broke apart, he couldn't stop brushing his lips against hers and she refused to let go of his shirt. The two finally locked eyes and started laughing, foreheads pressed together.

"Was this what you had in mind when you wanted me to fight for you?" he asked.

She nodded, smiling at him. "Better."

Catching sight of Professor Sycamore in the bushes, James shut his eyes and swallowed hard. "Do you pick me?"

Jessie reached up, brushing that one stray strand of blue hair that always fell so perfectly on his face out of the way, only to have it fall right back into place. "There was never any question."

He opened his eyes and grinned, unable to keep himself from asking, "Really?"

She laughed softly, rolling her eyes and shaking her head, pulling away from him. She took his hand and guided him over to the stump where they both managed to squeeze together and sit. "You're the only person I could ever be with, James."

He squeezed her hand, biting his lip. "But what about -"

"James, all of the times that we've fought and this team has 'broken up', have any of those ever stuck?"

James shook his head. "But that's -"

She put her hand over his mouth quickly. "I did that to Augustine for a reason. I thought you and I were apart because of me. I thought that everything I said and did brought misery to everyone around me. I thought that it was better for everyone if I was alone." Jessie lowered her hand, looking into his eyes. "I've never felt for anyone the way I've felt for you. He was the only one that ever came close and it scared me to death. I left and I never looked back...but with you..." She leaned forward, kissing him softly on the lips. "I always look back. And I always want to see you right there."

He grinned, wrapping his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. "You always will."

"Hey," Meowth said, waltzing back into the camp with a mug of coffee. "Who's dat guy behind da tree?"

James's eyes widened and he stood up, trying to stand in front of the professor, waving his hands wildly. "Pay no attention to the man behind the tree!"

Jessie frowned, leaning back on the stump and looking past James to see Professor Sycamore standing there, waving at her shyly. Her eyes went wide as well and she lost her balance, falling backward off the stump. "What the hell?!"

James reached down and helped her up, something he was happy that she obliged to; how awful it would be if finally they were together and he mucked it up within the first two minutes. "Are you okay?"

She gave him a look and then gestured with her hand over and over in the professor's direction. "What do you think?!"

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to intrude..." he said, stepping out from the brush.

James winced as Jessie dug her nails into his arm. Pressed against her, he could feel her heart begin to race, beating wildly, frantically. "Jessie, Jessie...it's - it's okay -"

"That's right," Professor Sycamore said, putting his hands back in the pockets of his lab coat. "Don't be upset with James. He was walking around the city, mumbling something about you and, of course, the name struck a chord with me as I walked by. I managed to pull out of him that you were here and I had to see you, for old time's sake."

Jessie could still only stare at him, completely taken aback by his presence.

"...And, well," he continued, nodding to James, "I made a deal with James that if he took me to see you one last time, for closure, I would give him some information about mega-evolution."

"What?!" Meowth yowled, spitting out his coffee. "Ya dummy! Ya had ta grow a pair and finally make it with Jess _now_ of all da times?!"

James shook his head and frowned at Professor Sycamore. "No, that's not -"

Professor Sycamore smiled, taking a multi-colored stone from his pocket and tossing it to Jessie, who only just barely managed to make the catch. "A replica of a key component to mega-evolution. I _would_ give you the real thing but..." He laughed, shrugging with his hands up. "You're the bad guys!"

James smiled at him, nodding a "thank you" in his direction.

The professor returned it and turned his attention to Jessie one last time. "It was good seeing you, Jessie. I'm truly glad that you've found what you were looking for."

She swallowed hard, clutching the stone in her hand. "I - I'm sorry..."

"I know," he said gently. "You're completely forgiven. Now, will you focus on your future and not the past? Because I think you might have a pretty spectacular one." He winked.

Jessie looked up at James and smiled, nodding. "Yeah...I think so, too."

He pulled her closer, feeling the beat of her heart again - calm, rhythmic...he would call it "content."


End file.
